Sam Clayton Picks
20 dime - Braves
Stop the presses folks, the Tomahawks have made serious strides since the All-Star break. Alanta is 7-2 in the second half and their bats have awoken from the dead as they've plated 57 runs in 9 games. That's almost as much as they scored the previous three weeks. And while the Braves' bats are hot right now, Tommy Hanson has been even hotter. Hanson (5-0, 3.00) has been sensational since his June 7 call-up. His strikeouts are rising, opponents' batting averages are dropping and his win tally seems to be able to do nothing but increase. And for some odd reason, Hanson's ERA drops down to 2.66 on the road and Atlanta has scored 48 runs in his 8 starts this season. I really can't put my finger around these numbers, but I will continue to ride the red-hot team with the red-hot pitcher. Yovanni Gallardo has struggled at home this season (4-5, 3.39) and since the Brew Crew has dropped 8 of their last 12, I'm listing Hanson and the Braves as Saturday's top play winner.
10 dime - White Sox
Just a day after Mark Buehrle's date with destiny, the White Sox traveled down I-94 east and got spanked in both games of Friday's double-dip against the Tigers. The two teams were tied for first place in the AL Central when the sun came up, but Chicago found themselves two games back by days' end. Trust me when I say that the Sox are dangerous in bounce back games and with Gavin Floyd on the hill, the South Siders are in great shape against their division rivals today. Floyd (5-1, 2.75 since June 1) is a perfect 5-0 with a 3.55 ERA throughout his career against Detroit and three of those wins have come in the confines of Comerica Park. Fresh off a three-hit victory against the Rays where Floyd located his curveball beautifully and was able to throw all his pitches for strikes, he'll be ready to cut the South Siders' deficit in the standings in half.